Fence.



PATENT'BD JULY 14, 1903.

E. L. FROG-GATT.

FENCE.

APPLICATION FILED ear-r. 19. 1902.

N0 MODEL.

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I PA TENTED JULY 14,, 1903. E. L. PROGGATT. I

FENCE.

APPLIUATION FILED snr'r. 1a. 1902.

2 HEETS-SHEET 2.

N0 MODEL.

- vention.

UNITED STATES Patented July 14., 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

FENCE.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent N 0'. 733,906, dated July 14, 1903.

Application filed September 19, 1902. Serial No. 124,085. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN L. FROGGATT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Spearfish, in the county of Lawrence and State of South Dakota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fences, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to inclosing means chiefly designed for farms and large tracts of land and railroads and Government purposes, the purpose being to provide a post of novel formation for use in connection with wire, picket, rail, or other form of fencing, said post being constructed of metal and adapted to be driven into the ground and provided with fastening means for the runner-wires, rails, or other variety of fencing.

For a full description of the invention and the merits thereof and also to acquire a knowledge of the details of construction of the means for efiecting the result reference is to be had to the following description and drawings hereto attached.

While the essential and characteristic features of theinvention are susceptible of modification, still the preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a fence, showing the application of the in- Fig. 2 is a View similar to Fig. 1, showing the invention applied to a rail fence. Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing a ringlock. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the upper end portion of the fence-post. Fig. 5 is a transverse section of the fence-post. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the fence-post on alarger scale. Fig. 7 is a view of a fencepost specially designed for use at a corner.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

The fence-post constituting the essential part of the invention is approximately of T form in plan section and comprises three wings 1, 2, and 3, the Wings 1 and 3 being in the same plane and extending in opposite directions from and at a right angleto the intermediate wing 2. The post may be constructed of metal in any economical manner and in the preferable manufacture is formed of a sheet-metal blank doubled upon itself intermediate of its longitudinal edges to form the wing 2 and having, the edge portions bent outwardly in opposite directions to form the wings 1 and 3. An end portion corresponding to the fold or wing 2 is extended beyond the parts 1 and 3 to admit of it being folded to form the head land overlapping portion 5, which bears laterally against a side of the wing 2 at its upper end, the head 4 being of T form and projecting beyond opposite sides of the part 2 and adapted to receive the blows of the mallet or other instrument employed for driving the post into the ground when constructing or setting upa line of fence embodying the invention.- The lower end ofthe post is pointed to facilitate its penetration into the ground, and at the base of the point the wings are cut to form tongues 5, which are bent laterally, 'so as to anchor the post after it has been driven into the ground the required and proper distance. The post is constructed for universal use and is adapted to receive fence material of any kind, whether longitudinal wires, rails, netting, or the like. The fence-wires may be plain or barbed, as indicated in Fig. 1, and the panels may be composed of rails simply or rails and pickets, as indicated in Fig. 2. Then the fence is constructed of wire, the latter is secured to the wings2of thefence-posts; but when rails are used they are attached to the flat side or wings l and 3 of the post, as indicated most clearly in Fig. 2.

The wings 1 and 3 constitute the flat side of the post and are provided with openings 6 to receive the fastenings by means of which the rails 7 are attached thereto and which fastenings may be staples, wire binders, nails, or the like commonly employed for the se-' curement of fence-rails to the supportingposts. The rails 7 may be boards or bars of any construction, and when desired pickets 8 may be secured thereto in the accustomed way.

The fence-wires 9 may be smooth or barbed,

as indicated in Fig. 1, and'are adapted to be:

formed by the cuts 10, constitute tongues, which serve to retain the wires in place after being properly positioned.

The form of fastening for securing the wire consists of aring 13, as indicated most clearly in Figs. 3 and 8, said ring being loosely conneeted with the wing above the cut 10 and adapted to swing across said out and prevented from outward movement by the end of the tongue 11. This form of lock admits of the Wires being readily placed in position or removed and, furthermore, allows for longitudinal movement of the wire when tightening the same. The upper portion of the cut 10 is deepened, as shown at 14:, to admit of the lower end of the ring being moved aside when it is required to pass a fence-wire into the cut 10 or remove it therefrom. After the fence-wire has been placed in the cut 10 the ring 13 is released and its lower end swings outward into contact with the tongue 11 and closes the upper end of said out 10 and prevents escape of the wire.

The corner-posts are constructed substantially the same as the posts along the line of fence, with the exception that one of the side wings has the cuts 10 formed therein instead of the intermediate wing 2, the post being placed so that the side wing having the cuts or fastening devices will extend outward to receive the fence material, the other two wings also being utilized for attachment of the fence material thereto.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is 1. As an article of manufacture, a fencepost formed of a sheet-metal blank doubled upon itself intermediate of its longitudinal edges and having edge portions of the folded parts bent in opposite directions, whereby three wings are provided, one of said wings being provided with attaching means for holding the fence-wires, and ahead formed from an extension of one of the wings bent in both directions laterally, the end portion of said extension being folded so as to lie flat against the side of the wing, bracing the head portion thereof, substantially as described.

2. In combination, a fence-post formed of a sheet-metal blank doubled upon itself intermediate of its longitudinal edges and having edge portions of the folded parts bent in opposite directions, whereby three wings are provided, inclined cuts formed upon the middle wing to receive the fence-wires, and rings loosely connected with the post at points above the cuts and adapted to swing across the latter and hold the fence'wire in place, the rear portion of the cuts being inwardly notched to allow the ring to be swung back and when lying in said notched portions to permit of ingress ancLegress of the fencewires, the rings in their normal position be ing prevented from outward movement by the upwardly-extending tongues at the lower side of the cuts, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EDWIN L. FROGGATT.

Witnesses:

W. H. TODD, W. W. PARKER. 

